Companion Planting

Companion planting is a great way to help your plants and give them some added support in your garden. If you haven’t heard of companion planting before, think of it the same way you’d think of a companion for yourself. A friend. Someone you can go through life with. They build you up and encourage you when you’re feeling down. You know, plants are sort of like that, too.

What is Companion Planting

Companion planting has been around for thousands of years. It’s a great way to help your plants to grow successfully. This method is when you plant different vegetables, herbs, and flowers together to help them grow in an optimal, holistic environment. Some plants help replenish the nutrients lost by other plants, while others plants can help deter pests.

A great example I’d love to share with you is tomatoes and borage. When I discovered borage I was so excited, and that was just for the medicinal purposes. Borage is a beautiful herb with multiple benefits. One of which is the amount of bees it attracts, and tomato hornworms that it repels! That’s right.. tomato hornworms. If you’ve ever grown tomatoes you probably know what I’m talking about.

These jolly green giants can practically eat a whole tomato plant in a day. And there are a lot of organic sprays that don’t deter them. Interestingly enough, borage does help to repel them. And while I wouldn’t say it’s 100% foolproof, I will say that I tried it this past season, and I think I only found 2 tomato hornworms at early stages on my tomato plants. Score!

Benefits of Companion Planting

Companion planting has multiple benefits. It can help you save space. When starting with a small garden, you can make the most of your area by planting different plants together. For example, radishes and green onions are small and fast-growing so they can be planted around other plants that are larger and take up more room. Companion planting can make your garden look more beautiful, help the growth and health of your plants, and even enhance the flavor of your vegetables.

Companion planting can also keep your soil moist for longer periods of time and help prevent weeds. Because the different crops are planted so close together, they actually act as a ground cover that shades the soil. This keeps moisture in and weeds out.

Best of all, companion planting can also help deter pests! Not only that, but it can also help with disease issues by slowing down the possible spread of it. And companion planting can help attract pollinators to your garden.

Keep in mind that while there are many beneficial duos, there are also some plants that you don’t want to have planted together because they either compete for the same nutrition, or the same pests are attracted to both. For example, tomatoes should be kept away from potatoes.

Companion Planting Guide

Now that you’re hopefully excited about all the benefits of companion planting, you’re probably wondering what else you can plant together to create a better environment for your garden. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. I’ve compiled together a list of vegetables and what good companions are for them. I’ve also listed any enemies you should be aware of, too. This list was gathered from a lot of sources online and some of my own experience as well.

Feel free to download!

Happy Gardening!